Raising
Butterflies:A Hydrogen Isotope Experiment from Environment Canada
and the University of Kansas

NOTE: This experiment was done by Mr. Smith's
1996-97 third grade in Granger, Texas. This year's 4th grade class in
Hannibal will be having their own adventures with Monarchs. We are
expecting 10-12 larvae from the people at Monarch Watch at the
University of Kansas during the first weeks of school.

What We Were Doing -- On 8-16-96 we started raising little Monarch
butterfly caterpillars from eggs. The eggs were stuck on
milkweed leaves and most hatched into caterpillars (also
known as larvae). Monarch caterpillars only eat milkweed. We
fed our caterpillars milkweed that grew in a horse pasture
and had been watered only by rain. The caterpillar on the
brush is 3.2 centimeters long. It is in the 5th instar stage
and about to become a pupa!

What Our Scientist Partners Were
Doing --Scientists at Environment
Canada were studying the Monarch to learn more about its
migration path. Scientists at the University of Kansas
assisted with wild rearing and captive control experiments.
So what are hydrogen isotopes and how do they help
scientists find out about Monarchs? Isotopes are forms of
elements. Deuterium is one isotope (or form) of hydrogen.
And we all know that hydrogen and oxygen make water, right?
Right.And deuterium is in rain water and rain in different
places has different amounts of deuterium. Minnesota rain
has different amounts of deuterium in it than Georgia or
Texas. Rain with deuterium in it falls on milkweed, Monarch
butterflies lay eggs on milkweed, the eggs hatch into hungry
caterpillars which eat the milkweed leaves, and later turn
into butterflies and fly away. So how do scientists put all
this together and know where the butterflies came
from?

Here is a scientific drawing by Chad.

Here is another scientific drawing by Ashley.

Can you tell the difference between the male and female
Monarch? See the dot? How are the veins different?

Inside our 36" x 36" x 36" butterfly cage: This chrysalis
is one of fifteen we raised and studied. Up close, you'll
find tiny gold mystery dots. Why? What do they do?